We're very much at the "build it up, smash it down, recycle it" stage of rehearsing, where stuff which seems to be polished and ready gets scrutinised in the light of changes elsewhere and comes up wanting. Sometimes this results in favourite moments being lost, more often it's awkward or eggy moments that get ironed out. The Roger/Renee relationship came under some heavy artillery today. Tempting though it is to apply a thick veneer of romanticism, the reality of people damaged by war, tragedy, loss and the grim fight for survival means a stripping back, a whittling away to reveal the truth of the liaison.
Dan auditions for Little Britain whilst I fail to keep a straight face...
Elsewhere there's more wonderful work going on. Dan's facility to make character snapshots colourful and memorable is extraordinary - sometimes with quite unprepossessing material. And if all else fails - which I doubt - he has a long career as a pantomime dame in front of him.
Pete's psychiatrist, Ballard, is a gentle and sympathetic portrayal, qualities of which there is very little on the page, but which detracts not at all from the showman, the circus barker almost, which forms the bulk of his part.
Pete stands ready to catch him should he fall. Or over-act.
I mean, acting is a serious business and all that, but today Karen, Heather, and I were all helpless at one of Dan's imaginings, and as Karen pointed out, it will need a bit of comedy.
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